In the ER… insist on us. We'll be there.

When to Know If an ER Visit Is Necessary

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Visiting the ER or emergency department of a hospital for immediate orthopedic needs can be a traumatic and stressful experience for anyone. But with the right team on the case and the right frame of mind, you can weather an ER visit without adding to the pressure.

Here are five details on ER care to keep in mind, courtesy of the experts at Orthopedic Institute (OI).

Is it a true emergency?

If you find yourself needing orthopedic care that is non-life-threatening and occurs between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., you have the option of calling a clinic, such as OI (605-331-5890). Speaking with a knowledgeable and caring nurse will help you find out more about the seriousness of your injury and potentially get you scheduled with a doctor on the same day, encourage you to come to a walk-in clinic like the ones OI offers or head directly to an ER.

Emergency or urgency?

If you require urgent but not necessarily emergency orthopedic care, a walk-in clinic may be your best option. OI offers OI NOW from 3-7 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m.–3 p.m. on Saturdays. Urgent care or walk-in clinics are typically staffed by a professional orthopedic physician assistant (PA). They’re an option when your situation is concerning enough that you don’t want to wait until the next day. The PA will be able to assess your injury and help determine what the best route is for you. You may need to see a physician, and the PA can get the ball rolling with X-rays and, when necessary, an MRI.

Is it after hours?

If you’re in need of orthopedic medical care after typical office hours and you’re not certain a trip to the emergency room is the right way to go, you can call a clinic’s after-hours service (OI’s is at 605-331-5890). The service provider will listen and take a message to quickly transmit it to an available doctor on call. He or she then calls you back to determine how urgent your situation is and whether a trip to the ER is necessary or you should set an office appointment in the next day or two.

Ready to wait?

Sometimes a trip to the ER is necessary—so it’s important to have a grasp on how best to approach it. More than 130 million times a year, people in the United States end up in an emergency room—often with non-life-threatening problems that can mean hours of waiting for treatment. Before seeing a doctor, expect to wait more than 55 minutes, the average ER wait time across the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On a busy night or weekend, the wait could end up being several hours, depending on where you live.

Seeing a specialist?

A word to the wise: If you do end up in the ER, most people don’t know that you can choose your own doctor. Your ER doctor may try to keep you within his or her network rather than offer you a choice of a specialist you may prefer, so you insist on seeing the doctor of your choice. Exercising this option can be useful if you regularly see a doctor familiar with your condition or if you have never been seen by a specialist such as an OI doctor, but wish to see one with skill in the area that’s landed you in the ER in the first place. Having the ER call an orthopedic doctor with whom you already have a relationship will get the process started much more quickly than with a doctor who has never treated you before. This will only help get you in and out of the ER as soon as possible and ahead of patients waiting to be assigned a doctor.

When Is Too Young to Start Training?

When is Too Young for Your Child to Start Training?

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You and your child both might have big dreams for athletic prowess in the coming years. Whether it’s college sports, a run at the Olympics or simply a lifelong commitment to health and wellness, athletic training might be on your itinerary.

But what are the potential benefits of starting your child on training at an early age? And how young is “too young” to start?

Growth

Overall, a regular health and fitness routine is positive for growth in children – those who are healthy have a leg up in height, weight management, muscle strength and even lung capacity. When it comes to resistance training in particular, studies have shown, in fact, that it can actually have a great impact on strength prior to adolescence. With the right trainer and program, preadolescents can achieve the same levels of strength gains that their adolescent counterparts do. (And there’s no marked difference between boys and girls in this regard – the same similarity of results can be achieved regardless of gender.)

Benefits

Exercise is always a good thing. But what does strength training, and namely resistance training, offer a child? The NSCA has found that youth resistance training regimens can spur improvements in future weight management and risk of heart-related ailments. Beyond that, it can give children a start to optimum motor skills and improve athleticism – including decreasing a child’s tendency toward injury while engaging in sports.

Getting Started

If your child is ready to get the ball rolling on a training program, such as resistance training, getting started is often as easy as finding a qualified, licensed professional to administer the program. A good rule of thumb for determining whether your child is ready is, if he or she is ready for participation in sports, then some degree of resistance training is likely possible and safe. First things first – consider scheduling a physical for your child to pinpoint any potential physical ailments before diving headfirst into training. A qualified instructor will walk your child through gym safety, initial ability expectations and proper use of the equipment right off the bat.

A youth training regimen should include a warm-up and cool-down period in each session that should last approximately five to 10 minutes apiece. Most coaches recommend starting with a high rep count and lighter weights: ask a trusted instructor for their opinion. To start, the NSCA recommends avoiding sessions on back-to-back days and to limit them to three per week at the most. These can be increased over time.

And this one’s important – don’t forget to ensure your child gets healthy meals, plenty of water and the optimum amount of sleep.

Are you ready to set your child up for future physical and athletic success by starting a resistance-training program? Orthopedic Institute along with D1 of Sioux Falls offers experienced and tailored training your child deserves. Contact D1 of Sioux Falls to get started.

Sources: National Strength and Conditioning Association

3 Ways Orthopedic Care Is a Gift During the Holidays

3 Ways Orthopedic Care is a Gift During the Holidays

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The gift of healing. It’s a gift that keeps on giving and can keep you going. During the holiday season, this is one gift that may be critically important and highly useful. We are sometimes so worried about finding that perfect Black Friday deal or the perfect Christmas decorations that we might forget to take care of our own bodies.

Aches, breaks, and dislocations don’t take a break—here’s how orthopedic care can brighten your spirits over the holidays.

Always on call

The holidays don’t mean a vacation from potential orthopedic pitfalls, and, luckily for you, orthopedic caregivers are typically on-call throughout the break to ensure patients are well provided for in the event of an injury or incident. Pain can wear on you in both the physical and emotional sense and can consume your energy and focus. When that pain is alleviated, you can get back to the things you truly care about and were otherwise unable to do.

Because of a team of committed physicians, Orthopedic Institute (OI) is one such facility that has on-call physicians provide healing services from when the first snowflake falls to when the last one melts.

Physicians with passion

You won’t get better care than from physicians and clinic staff who have a drive and a passion for healing. That’s why selecting a healthcare provider with a stellar crew is so critical to your end results. OI’s own team members are drawn to the field of orthopedics for a variety of reasons, including genuine curiosity for medicine, family influences and a nurturing spirit. One thing they all have in common, though, is passion for healing.

Determined follow-through

A commitment to seeing the healing process through to a patient-pleasing ending is another crucial gift when it comes to orthopedic care, particularly during the holiday season. Injury can keep you from taking part in family traditions and things you truly care about, so having a caregiver with amazing follow-through can make all the difference.

OI’s physicians appreciate the opportunity to come alongside patients in their times of need, whether that’s a devastating injury or debilitating pain. They’re committed to walking patients through the process step by step – and the last step is resolution.  OI’s team strives to get patients back to the things that matter most to them through the healing process.

Just remember this season to always be conscious of your health. There is a lot of comfort in knowing that if unexpected injury or physical pain occurs for you or your loved ones, there are caring physicians in your community who are ready to deliver the gift of healing.